Autumn Cottage Pie
This Cottage Pie has all the colours and tastes of autumn. A filling of minced beef, squash, herbs and just a heady touch of cinnamon. All with a bronzed crown of cheesey sweet potato…
You know that saying about how dogs start to look like their owners? Well, have you ever noticed that foods often tend to look like the seasons they belong to?
Not sure what I’m on about? Stay with me for a second… Think about the foods that you eat in summer. Vibrant, bright colours that match the world around them. Watermelon, strawberries, tomatoes…
See what I mean? Well in autumn, the season of golds, coppers and orange, the food very kindly obliges again. Butternut squash, sweet potato and pumpkin all reflecting this cold season of warm, burnished colours.
This recipe is a celebration of some of my favourite autumn foods. It’s actually inspired by Delia’s Special Cottage Pie from her Complete Cookery Course but with a few seasonal twists which add a subtle, but oh-so comforting sweetness.
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 leeks, thinly sliced
- 300 g butternut squash, diced
- 500 g minced beef
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
- 300 ml beef stock
- 900 g sweet potatoes
- Heat the oil in a pan and then add the chopped leeks. Cook them, stirring occasionally until they have softened
- Add the diced butternut squash - the cubes should be around 1cm
- Now add the mince, cinnamon and herbs and continue to stir occasionally until browned
- Add the stock and bring to a simmer, then set aside
- Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and then add to a pan of water
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 C
- Bring the water to the boil and simmer for around 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft
- Put the sauce into a casserole
- Mash the sweet potatoes and add the second tbs of olive oil then add them to the top of the sauce and spread them out to cover it all
- Bake in the oven for 25 mins
